Down with Maduro!
Once again, international organizations like the Organization of
American States (OAS) and the Union of South American Nations (USAN) have failed
to mediate successfully in a grave crisis affecting the region.
The days of Mr. Maduro’s reign are clearly numbered. But in the meantime,
the worsening social and economic instability in Venezuela threatens to destroy
all chances of building a more united South America and a more cohesive Latin
America. The OAS and USAN both lack the teeth either to enforce or even really
to influence the chaotic situation in Venezuela. To make matters worse, oil has
bought the silence of many Latin American nations—think, for example, of Colombia
and Panama, neither of which would dare to call for a debate about the current
situation in that oil-rich nation. Those who dare to speak out against Maduro
are treated as enemies of Venezuela.
Venezuela continues to have all the necessary ingredients to become
a powerful, well-educated, and peaceful nation. It can become the example and
the darling of a new South America. But to achieve that, Maduro and his poor
imitations of Chavista policies will have to go.